Perhaps
by Orcux
Summary: Clear returns to Aoba's side to give him the happiness he had promised him. Clear x Aoba, Post-Clear
1. Chapter 1

Aaaand hey. The number of fics in this fandom is almost depressing (I think it was 5 the last time I checked)... and thus... Well, here I am. Because CLEAR. NEEDS. MORE. LOVE.

This'll be a multi-chaptered fic, written whenever I have my DMMd feels (which for now, is 24/7 365 days)!

Enjoy!

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Clear hummed softly to himself, seated comfortably atop the rooftop, spinning his umbrella in his left hand. His nerves buzzed with electricity, and for a moment, he wondered if he was perhaps, malfunctioning. He looked down at himself idly, before shivering ever so slightly.

He'd never felt like this before except –perhaps, he remembered- the day he had taken Aoba. The day the painfully huge gap between their hearts had closed.

Aoba.

He wondered how the other was doing now. He didn't have the courage to call upon the blue-haired male at the moment. The aching, excruciating sensation in his gut was growing ever more prominent and unbearable, and he didn't know how to deal with it.

He wanted to see Aoba.

Taking a shuddering breath, Clear closed his eyes and began to sing. The Jellyfish Song he'd sung to Aoba once naturally came to his lips, and softly, soothingly, his voice filled up the world. He lost himself in his music, and the pain faded away, drifting along with the wind.

So immersed into his singing was he, that he didn't realize he had caught the attention of someone until he heard a slight movement from beneath him. His sharp hearing alerted him, and he tensed slightly, getting ready to move at a slightest notice.

Then suddenly, his muscles relaxed again, and he turned his head slightly to gaze behind him. Those soft, hesitating thuds on the footholds to the roof… he could never forget them. They could only belong to one person.

His breath caught in his throat as the figure emerged from below, and the last sweet notes of his song trailed off into the air around them.

Aoba stared at him hazily, as if he couldn't really understand what he was seeing. His eyes shone with disbelief, and a sheen of unshed tears threatened to spill over his slightly flushed cheeks. An overwhelming, unfamiliar sense of joy taking over his senses, Clear smiled back at him, the way he knew Aoba would have wanted him to.

"I heard your voice so…" He took a deep breath, and chuckled teasingly. "I've come back to you… Aoba-san."

The tears flowed freely, and as Aoba's expression lifted in the first genuine smile he had given in six months, the last of Clear's song hung in the air around them.

Perhaps a miracle had taken place.

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**Little short chapters are had. Ugh, I really hope to increase my word count in the future. I wonder if there're any other hardcore Clear x Aoba fans out there? Give me a shout-out! WE REALLY NEED TO GET THIS FANDOM GOING. EVEN TOGAINU HAS LOADS MORE FICS, DARN IT. :(**

**Don't forget to review! :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Thank you very much for your order! Have a nice day!"

Aoba sighed, placing the phone down into its holder. After the crisis in Platinum Jail, he had all but sworn to himself that he wouldn't ever use his power to sway the decisions of others again. He hadn't wanted to have this power… his stomach clenched. Just as Sei hadn't wanted his power as well.

Still, despite his protests, his inner self seemed to think it amusing that he wanted to avoid using Scrap, and frequently let a few wisps and strands of latent power escape, causing the others around him to heed his every demand immediately. It was almost frustrating, though he found it difficult to get mad. After all, it was himself- and oh god, that was confusing.

"Aoba," his All Mate poked its furry nose out of his bag, and looked straight up to Aoba's exhausted face. "How is your condition?"

Aoba sighed, leaning back so that Ren could jump onto his lap.

"Ren~ Is there a way to stop myself from using my power needlessly?" He couldn't help asking. The blue Pomeranian probably wouldn't know the answer to something like that, but it was just that—he loved having redundant conversations with his partner; ones that wouldn't go anywhere, but that would stimulate his mind enough to stop worrying about things.

The All Mate was silent for a moment, before it looked up at Aoba with contemplating, deep blue eyes.

"Maybe you could wear something to filter your voice."

Aoba blinked. He hadn't exactly been expecting a suggestion from his little furry partner. "You mean… Like a gas-mask?" He joked, thinking about a certain white-haired male.

"Yes, exactly." Ren agreed, making himself comfortable on Aoba's lap.

"Eh! Seriously?"

...Maybe he could borrow Clear's gas-mask sometime in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

"Master! Welcome home!"

Aoba flinched as a whirl of white tackled him in the chest, making him stumble backwards slightly. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the back of the male holding him, to support the both of them. He reveled in the warm, fuzzy feeling he received for a few precious moments, before pulling away slightly to look at his assaulter.

"Clear!" He chided, his warm eyes betraying his tone, radiating nothing but fondness. "What have I told you about attacking me like that?"

Clear stiffened, but his hold on Aoba refused to slacken. Instead, he continued to cling onto him for dear life, making Aoba wince slightly from his sheer strength.

"My apologies ,Master!" He cried out, his voice slightly muffled by Aoba's shoulder. "It's just that you were gone for so long, that I…!"

Aoba sighed despairingly, his hands travelling up to stroke Clear's silky white strands. He rubbed them between his fingers, sighing in bliss at the comfort it brought him. Clear began to relax under his touch, his death grip on Aoba loosening ever so slightly.

Aoba brought them to the sofa and sat down, with Clear's arms still stubbornly wrapped around his torso. It didn't take him long to realize that Clear wouldn't let go, and he resigned to the strange situation with as small sigh.

"What's wrong, Clear?" Aoba asked softly, continuing to run his fingers through Clear's hair. "It can't be helped— I'm still working at Heibon…" He could only rely on Tae for so long. Besides, the ex-researcher had long since been unemployed, so their household was basically running on his meagre salary and her diminishing savings.

There was a slight shift below, and his attention was drawn back to Clear, who murmured softly, snuggling closer to Aoba and placing his head onto his lap. "But I need more of Master… my batteries are running low...~"

Aoba flushed lightly, and he chuckled softly. It had taken a while for Clear to get used to the fact that he was not human, and even longer for Aoba to assure him that he didn't mind. Sometimes though, he would get a lonely, distant look in his eyes, and Aoba would wonder if he had gotten over it at all.

When Clear got that look in his eyes, Aoba would reach out and stroke his hair comfortingly like what he was doing now, and everything would be alright again.

"Master…" Clear murmured before his eyes slid close slowly, and his breathing evened out. Aoba chuckled. It seemed like Clear had really tired himself out waiting for him to come back.

A yawn escaped his lips, and letting the haze cloud over his mind, he drifted off to sleep as well.

When Tae came home, she shook her head fondly, before laying a soft blanket on top of the two sleeping figures.

"Goodness… to think that I've gained yet another troublesome kid in addition to the one I already have…"


	4. Chapter 4

Clear awoke to the sound of something metallic rustling and clanking upon some hard surface.

His mechanical heart jolted— at first, he thought, by a stroke of bad luck, he had fallen back into the hands of Toue, and that he was being experimented on by scientists with strange metallic devices and tweezers and masks covering their faces partially like a sort of ominous veil.

But then again, the clanging sounds seemed too far away, and as his 'pillow' his head was resting on shifted slightly, he realized belatedly his mind slowly coming becoming clearer, that it didn't seem very pillow-like at all. He also felt slightly warm; something soft was covered over him, and he didn't feel like moving at all.

His arms were also wound tightly around something… he squeezed it a little to be sure, and the softness below his fingertips along with a startled gasp from above made him jolt back to reality.

Yesterday night, he had stayed up waiting for Aoba to come home, and then…

"Master!" His eyes flew open as he struggled to get out of Aoba's lap. He failed, and still feeling slightly groggy, ended up nearly falling out of the sofa. Warm, gentle hands wound around his shoulders before he fell, pulling him back.

G' morning, Clear," Aoba yawned softly, as his hands stroked Clear's hair again, imbued with a gentleness that made Clear's nerves tingle with warmth.

Embarrassment, something that Clear wasn't exactly aware of until Aoba had entered his life, overwhelmed Clear's mind, and he closed his eyes again, wondering if he was capable of –and if he was—blushing.

"Master, I should really get off your lap!" He tried to argue, but his voice was weak and unconvincing, and he snuggled closer to Aoba even as he said so. It was contradictory of him, but he didn't want to cause problems for the one person who he respected and adored more than anyone in the world, even his grandfather.

Aoba chuckled slightly, but it wasn't mocking at all, and it was a pleasant sound that made Clear's heart flutter slightly in joy. "Don't worry about it, Baa-chan is making food, so we have all the time in the world… well, maybe about fifteen minutes actually, to continue lazing around like this."

Tae-san was making food…? That explained the clanging noises he was hearing. Suddenly, Clear felt foolish for panicking in the first place.

Aoba seemed to realize that he was feeling slightly uncomfortable, for his hands stopped mid-stroke. Feeling uncomfortable at the sudden loss of contact, Clear opened his eyes warily, staring straight into Aoba's reflective ones. The silent question lingered between them, before Clear sighed. He had kept enough secrets; he didn't have the right to continue worrying Aoba.

"I remembered some things before I was taken in to live with my grandfather," Clear began to explain, averting his eyes. Aoba began to run his fingers through his hair comfortingly again when he spoke, and Clear was grateful for that touch. "Back in the lab… where I was created and tested, functions were added to me whenever they felt that something could be improved, and the scalpels were digging into my skin…" His voice broke slightly.

It had been a horrendous experience—his mind had been intact, his consciousness drifting between reality and limbo, and they hadn't given him anesthesia even though he could feel, because he _wasn't human,_ and there wasn't a need to reduce the pain of something that wouldn't affect them.

Suddenly, he became acutely aware that the fingers stroking his hair had stopped, and were trembling slightly, and he opened his eyes again, slightly disconcerted. "Master…?"

And then without a warning of any kind, he was embraced tightly by his precious Master. The comfortable body heat encompassed him, allowing him to delude himself into thinking that for once, just this once, he was _real_, and that he belonged right here, lying cramped up on a slightly worn-out leather sofa with Aoba's arms around him, grounding them to the future.


	5. Chapter 5

The irresistibly sweet aroma of donuts fresh out of the oven filled the air, making Aoba's mouth water. No matter how many times he had eaten them, they still looked and tasted incredible. He looked to the side, where Clear was staring at the donuts thoughtfully, their crispy, brownish exterior with sugar sprinkled onto them.

"I-Is it really alright for me to partake in such exquisite delicacies?" His voice trembled slightly, as if the generosity of such an act had left him speechless.

Aoba laughed softly, breathlessly, as Clear continued to gaze at the donuts longingly, clearly unsure if he was allowed to eat them or not. He didn't really understand why Clear was being so hesitant when he had eaten them with Koujaku, Noiz and Mink before, though he thought it was slightly adorable.

Tae snorted, and nudged the plate closer towards him. "Dig in," she said shortly.

Clear brought his hand closer to the donuts, determination blazing in his eyes. "Well then… Itadakimasu."

As he took his first, delicate bite out of the donut, as if it was some treasure that was too precious to be consumed, his violet eyes widened in childish delight, and he continued eating, unable to resist the temptation any longer.

"Tae-san! This is amazing! Incredible!" He praised earnestly, chomping enthusiastically on the donuts.

Tae 'hmph-ed', seemingly unimpressed, "Flattery won't get you anywhere," but Aoba knew that she was pleased, and that she had been at the oven for the whole morning, ensuring that everything would turn out delicious.

Aoba followed Clear's lead, taking a donut as well, a small smile lifting his lips. He hadn't exactly had the chance to observe Clear eat before, what with the gasmask perpetually set on his face. Now though, he could see every single movement, the whole multitude of expressions on his face, and that made his heart lift in every imaginable way possible.

He didn't realize he had been staring until Clear cleared his throat, catching his attention. "M-Master…"

"Mm?"

"Please don't stare, it's embarrassing," Clear fidgeted, and Aoba averted his gaze obligatorily, laughing softly to himself.

It was amazing, the high rush he felt, the smile on his face almost making his cheeks ache; the thought of how these carefree days would continue endlessly, rolling by pleasantly without the need to care about anyone, everyone around them.


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you so much to **WINK** and **Kuro-Riya **for reviewing! I'm so happy that there's actually someone reading this! I'm seriously considering changing the rating to M though. Should I write mindless PWP for DMMd? LOL, it's such a lovely fandom to corrupt, hahaha!

Here's the next chapter!

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Clear finds himself in the kitchen, five in the morning, chopping red peppers in the kitchen with vigor. It wasn't exactly an everyday routine, but Aoba had told him that his cooking was delicious before, and he badly wanted to be praised again.

Maybe he was feeling uneasy, that he shouldn't really be here, not exactly alive but not broken either. With Platinum Jail destroyed, he kept thinking to himself that he must have outlived his purpose, and that Aoba no longer had a reason to keep him around. The logical part of his mind told him that Aoba wasn't someone like that, but when the fear took over, there was nothing much he could do.

"You look worried." A deep voice rumbled from behind him. It sounded slightly familiar.

"Ehh?!" Clear jumped slightly at the unexpected voice, the knife slightly slipping out of his grip. The sharp edge pierced through his skin, and a clear, viscous liquid began to ooze out of the fresh cut.

"Ahh..." He sighed, before turning in the direction of the voice.

"Ren-san! And Master!"

Sure enough, the blue Pomeranian stood before him, with an unusually grave expression while Aoba stood only a few steps behind. Aoba had been rubbing his eyes sleepily, but upon seeing Clear get hurt, his eyes had gone wide in horror, his gaze immediately drawn to the cut on Clear's finger.

"C-Clear...! That cut-!" He half shouted, gaze darting around in panic to look for something to treat him with.

Clear smiled idly, getting over his surprise quickly. He waved his finger in a carefree manner, making Aoba gasp in horror. "Don't worry Master, it doesn't hurt at all~"

Anger glinted in Aoba's eyes, making Clear shrink back slightly in apprehension and guilt.

"It's not about whether it hurts or not!" He gave up searching the room with his eyes as he came to the conclusion that there were no plasters or bandages around. "Ahh, where did I put them? Damn it!"

Clear hesitated slightly at the vehemence in Aoba's voice, before speaking up softly, "Um, Master, please don't worry yourself about it. I'm completely fine..."

Aoba frowned at him, before turning on his heels quickly. "Wait there for a moment; I'll bring something down to treat you!" With that, he ran up the stairs to his bedroom, footsteps thudding softly on the polished wood.

Clear stared after him in dismay. Did he cause another problem for his Master? Even though he wanted to be useful to him... He sighed softly to himself, dejected.

"Clear."

Clear's head lifted slightly and he watched silently as Ren jumped onto a low stool, balancing himself carefully before leaping up onto the kitchen counter.

"Wahhh, Ren-san, you're so agile!" Clear praised, clapping as Ren made it on top safely. Ren accepted the praise, his tail wagging slightly, before his expression became more serious.

"You're worried about something, aren't you?" He asked again, and at Clear's lack of response, he added more softly, "Is it Aoba?"

Clear shook his head, his expression troubled. "It's not about Master, although it sort of is..." He fumbled a little, stuttering. "I was just wondering if I had the right to stay beside Master now that I've... outlived my purpose..."

It had been painful enough in his mind, but now that he had put it to words, the reality and possibility of his words struck him. His heart sank.

The blue Pomeranian wagged his tail, his pink tongue sticking out cutely as he contemplated. "Outlived your purpose?"

"Yes... Things like helping Master in Platinum Jail; now that it's all over, there shouldn't be a use for me any longer..." Clear sounded more and more dejected as he continued, his voice finally trailing off at the end of his sentence weakly.

Instead of answering, Ren drew himself up looking at Clear critically.

It was a strange feeling, being glared at by a dog, so Clear stared back at him, completely at a loss of what to say.

"Clear, how long do you think I've been with Aoba?" His next question surprised Clear, but he hastened to answer anyway.

"Um... A few years, I think...?" He replied hesitantly, unsure with his answer.

"I've been with him for as long as I can remember."

"Hah..." Clear still didn't see the point of the conversation. If anything, he could feel the faint stirrings of jealousy that Ren knew Aoba so much better than he did.

Ren wagged his tail again, his deep blue eyes staring straight into his clear ones. "Following your logic... I would have outlived my purpose a long time ago."

"Eh..." Clear was at a loss for words, before he spoke up again, his voice shaking slightly. "But Ren-san is different!"

"How so?" Ren fired back, his calm blue eyes scrutinizing Clear carefully.

Clear was stumped, as he struggled to find the words to say. Even though he wanted to believe it so badly, the tempting conclusion lying just within his reach, he could hardly bring himself to believe it.

- It was just too good to be true.

Ren seemed to notice his indecision, for he took a step closer to the edge of the table, speaking in a slightly gentler tone, "Clear, you're the same as me. Aoba won't 'discard' you; he's too fond of you. And personally, I don't wish for you to leave as well."

Emotions overwhelmed Clear, his throat constricting so painfully that for a moment, he wondered if something had happened to trigger a faulty reaction within him. And then the emotions gave rise to something akin to joy, and a smile broke across his face.

"Ren-san…!" Clear cried out joyously, scooping the All Mate in his arms. Ren, although surprised, quickly adjusted himself in a more comfortable position, wagging his tail. Clear sank into that position for a while, the wonderful sensation of Ren's fur against his cheek, before the pounding of footsteps down the old wooden staircase alerted him to Aoba's arrival.

"Clear! I'm back! I hope you're not doing anything silly like cutting…"

Aoba trailed off as he stared at the surreal sight in front of him. His most important person, Clear, was holding onto his most important friend, and the both of them looked back at him curiously, as if it wasn't strange to find them holding onto each other like that, and that it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Master, welcome back!" Clear smiled, his eyes shining in delight.

"A-Ah… yeah…" Aoba collected himself, before moving towards Clear again. Ren jumped down from Clear's arms to avoid being sandwiched between the two, and Clear held out his finger dutifully, a guilty smile on his face.

Aoba made Clear run his finger under the tap running, overly conscious of the fact that Clear kept stealing glances in his direction. His face began to heat up for no reason, and he frowned, berating himself inwardly.

What was he doing, getting all embarrassed just because someone was looking at him?

"W-What is it?" He finally asked, when Clear didn't seem to be letting up.

"Well, I heard that when someone gets hurt, you're supposed to help them lick their wound." Clear was a straightforward as he'd expected, perhaps even more so, but it only served to make Aoba flush and stare at him, not knowing what to say.

Where had he learnt this? From his grandfather? It seemed unlikely, no matter how he looked at it, but Clear's eyes were shining, a silent plea and spark of excitement in the depths of his violet eyes.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, before he swivelled the tap close, and reached for the plaster on the table, avoiding Clear's gaze. "W-Well," he cursed himself for stuttering here, "I think it hasn't been medically proven that it helps…" He couldn't remember for the life of him whether licking one's wounds actually helped, but it was just so _embarrassing,_ and…

"That's not true," Ren piped up helpfully, wagging his tail as he stared at them curiously. "Saliva is said to have healing properties, and it does contains the enzyme lysozyme, which has anti-bacterial properties, lessening the probability of an infection."

"What…" Aoba sighed. As usual, Ren seemed to have an infinite supply of useless (subjectively) information. He decided to change tracks. "But still…!"

"…Master…" Clear's voice dropped, his eyes dimmed, as it seemed like he had come to a sudden realization. "Is it because I'm not really human…?"

Aoba's heart throbbed at this—he hadn't wanted to be the cause of the look that Clear was giving him right now, and he felt a sudden desire to do anything that would prove that Clear was wrong.

"That's not it… Oh, fine…!"

Taking the both of them by surprise, Aoba grabbed Clear's hand, lifted his finger to his lips and took a tentative lick, closing his eyes tightly to avoid seeing Clear's expression. He really hadn't wanted to do something so embarrassing, but he would much rather do this than see the hurt expression on Clear's face.

Clear exhaled softly, the small sound seemingly spurring him on as he parted his lips slightly and tugged gently at Clear's hand. Clear seemed to be in shock, for the tenseness in his hand had completely disappeared, and he allowed his finger to be taken in by Aoba. His finger, Aoba realized, tasted gentle and sweet, and he could taste honey and sugar and a tangy spicy taste of pepper.

He allowed his tongue to lick softly near the wound, eliciting a small gasp from Clear. Aoba opened an eye slightly to check on Clear, worried that he had caused him pain. The sight of Clear gazing at him, his normally light lilac eyes darkened to violet, his breaths coming out in light puffs, made his eyes widen and heat rise to his cheeks rapidly.

Heat travelled down to his nether region, and he instantly let go of Clear's finger as if he had been burnt, averting his eyes embarrassedly as he hoped that Clear wouldn't notice what he was feeling. "S-Sorry…! It looks like that went a little too far…"

Clear blinked, still slightly dazed, before a light-hearted smile crept across his face. "That felt a little weird… but we should try that again!"

Aoba bonked Clear's head, an embarrassed pout on his face. "Don't say weird things, you idiot!"

"Owww… Sorry Master, I won't do it again…" Clear, still slightly flushed, looked at him remorsefully.

The small padding sounds on the counter top reminded him that Ren was still there, and mortification overtook him. He quickly reached out for the plaster (Ren helpfully nudged it towards him with his nose), tore off the wrapper and wrapped it around Clear's finger.

"T-There. We should have done this in the first place."

"But then I wouldn't have gotten to see Master's cute expression! …Ow! I'm sorry…"

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**I'm sorry for making Aoba seem overly deprived. Ahahaha!**

**Don't forget to review! :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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